1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, an electro-optical device and an electronic device.
2. Related Art
With use of electro-optical devices performing display in a hold mode such as liquid crystal devices, persistence of vision of a human viewer when a motion picture is displayed is remarkably observed compared to use of display devices performing display in an impulse mode such as cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
In some cases, edge portions of a moving object in a display image look blurred, which is called motion picture blurring.
For example, techniques to suppress such motion picture blurring are disclosed in JP-A-H4-302289, JP-A-2005-10579 and a news release entitled “Development of a new technology for motion pictures “Flexible B1” in in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal panels for digital television” issued by Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Apr. 10, 2006:http://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2006/04/0410a.html) (hereinafter, referred to as first, second and third related art examples, respectively).
In the first related art example, light emission time between frames is restricted by controlling light emission luminance so that blurring of motion pictures is suppressed.
In the third related art example, an original image corresponding to one screen is displayed in the form of two images.
One image is brighter than the original image and the other is darker than the original image.
Thus, a pseudo-impulse mode is realized without a decrease in brightness.
In the second related art example, part of an image is covered with a black belt, and the position of the belt moves from up to down.
Although only part of an image is covered with the belt, as a result of integration of one frame by period, a period during which no picture is displayed is provided in one frame.
This achieves the same effects as when inserting a black image into the whole image (hereinafter, referred to as “black insertion” for brevity).
However, in the technique described in the first related art example, light emission time between frames is restricted, causing the entire image to become dark.
In the technique described in the third related art example, it can be suppressed to darken the entire image; however, the image processing is complex (e.g. real-time generation of an image with a portion thereof highlighted).
In the technique described in the second related art example, although the darkness of the entire image can be suppressed as in the third related art example, the same brightness as in an image without black insertion cannot be achieved.
FIG. 9 shows a related art example of black insertion between frame images that constitute a moving image.
In the figure, images designated by f1 and f3 illustrate frame images f1 and f3 constituting a moving image, and images designated by f2 and f4 illustrate frame images f3 and f4 used for black insertion, respectively.
Black insertion is performed such that the frame image f2 follows the frame image f1 and the frame image f4 follows the frame image f3, as shown in the figure, thereby enabling suppression of motion picture blurring of the frame images f1 and f3.
However, when the frame images f1 to f4 are displayed as a picture, the entire image is darker than the original image because the frame images f2 and f4 are black.